The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) Wednesday announced that Monroe Township in Clermont County is free from the invasive
Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). This follows the eradication of ALB from Stonelick and Batavia townships in March.

"We are excited to see continued success due to the dedication of our state, federal and local partners in the fight against the Asian longhorned beetle," said Tim Derickson, assistant director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. "This is one more important
step to rid this pest from Ohio and we will continue to work together to achieve this common goal."

Derickson was joined by USDA APHIS representatives, as well as community leaders at an announcement ceremony and tree planting in Fair Oak Park, near the quarantined area in Monroe Township.

ODA and USDA APHIS will move to lift the quarantine of Monroe Township. The beetle was first discovered in Tate Township in Clermont County in June 2011. ALB quarantines remain in effect for Tate Township, East Fork State Park and portions of the
East Fork Wildlife Area.

Residents should remain vigilant and inspect their trees regularly for signs of the beetle. Adult ALBs are large, shiny black insects measuring 1 to 1.5 inches long, not including antennae, with random white spots. Their white-banded antennae can be as long as the
body itself on females and almost twice the body length on males.

Signs of infestation include perfectly round exit holes (about 3/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter) made by adult beetles when they emerge from trees; pockmarks on tree trunks and branches where female beetles deposit eggs; frass (wood shavings and saw dust)
produced by larvae feeding and tunneling; early fall coloration of leaves or dead branches; and running sap produced by the tree at the egg laying sites or in response to larval tunneling. The beetle will infest various common trees in Ohio, including all species of
maple, buckeye, willow and elm.

To report signs or symptoms of ALB, call the Ohio ALB Eradication Program Office at 513-381-7180 or report online at asianlonghornedbeetle.com.